Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of ThisDay, Nduka Obaigbena, has said the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA) Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd), paid him N550 million as compensation for attacks on the newspaper’s offices in Abuja and Kaduna in 2012.
He said he also received N120million on behalf of 12 newspapers whose circulation was disrupted by security agents in June 2014 over suspicion their vehicles were being used to transport explosive materials.
According to him, he did that in his capacity as chairman of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) to prevent a class action by the affected media organisations against the government.
Newspapers affected by what former Army spokesman, Chris Olukolade, described as a “routine security action” included Leadership, Vanguard, TheNation, Punch, Daily Trust, The Guardian, Daily Sun, National Mirror and Tribune.
Obaigbena was responding to an invitation by the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) dated December 8, 2015 in connection to the ongoing probe into the usage of $2.1 billion arms procurement fund by the office of the NSA under Dasuki.
Dasuki, alongside some top officials of the former ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and other former senior officials are currently being investigated for the alleged diversion of the fund.
Another media mogul, founder of DAAR Communications, Raymond Dokpesi, was arrested last week in connection with the scandal.
Dokpesi is facing a six-count charge of fraud and money laundering in a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
His bid to secure bail failed on Thursday as Justice Gabriel Kolawole adjourned ruling till Monday to afford him time to look critically at the arguments presented by prosecution and defence counsel on the matter.
He is spending the weekend in EFCC custody.
In a letter, dated December 9, 2015, and addressed to the Chairman of EFCC, Obaigbena explained that he was in the United States and would honour the invitation in person as soon as he returned to the country. He, however, stated that he thought it necessary to issue a statement prior to his return.
He denied receiving any suspicious funds from the office of the NSA adding that all funds he received were “payment for compensation to mitigate” terror attacks on the head office of his newspaper in Abuja and another attack on the newspaper’s office in Kaduna.
“N100,000,000 +N100,000,000 and N250,000,000 respectively received in August, November and February 2014 as compensation to mitigate the dastardly Boko Haram twin bombing of the ThisDay newspapers offices in Abuja and Kaduna on Thursday April 26, 2012, during which four innocent Nigerian lives were lost, our building destroyed and we lost full colour Goss printing towers and three (3) pre-press Computer-To-Plate and auxiliary equipment and other (in)valuable property valued at over N2.5 billion having lost our printing facility to terrorists due to inadequate protection by the Federal Government of Nigeria,” he wrote.
He added a further “N100,000,000 and N20,000,000 received in March 2015 for The Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and 12 newspapers who demanded compensation for the brutal and unlawful seizure of newspapers and stoppage of circulation by armed soldiers in Abuja and several cities. As President of the NPAN, it was my duty to lead media leaders to hold discussions with President Goodluck Jonathan to avert a class action lawsuit against the Armed Forces and the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
Obaigbena said that he was compelled to make the request after the federal government spent N3 billion in reconstructing the United Nations office that was bombed by Boko Haram in August 2011.
He explained that former President Goodluck Jonathan initially refused to accede to the demands so as not to create a precedence but later approved the payment after he (Nduka) confronted him with the effort the government had undertaken to reconstruct the UN building.
“On both occasions, President Jonathan said he did not wish to lay precedence and in our case, he specifically said there were many victims of Boko Haram, I had to confront President Jonathan on the Issue when I learnt of the approval for the reconstruction of the Abuja United Nations Building, since we were the second major organisation that would be attacked by Boko Haram after the UN attack. He therefore directed me to meet with the National Security Adviser who processed the three payments in question.”
He attached a copy of “our letter to President Jonathan as well as correspondence with the then NSA on the Newspapers’ payment” while promising “I will be making my way to Nigeria to meet with you should you require further information.”
Obaigbena has listed ThisDay, Vanguard, The Nation, Daily Trust, Leadership, Peoples Daily, Sun Newspaper, New Telegraph, Nigerian Tribune, The Guardian, Daily Independent and Business Day as those paid compensation.
